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Spaghetti Carbonara
Italian

Spaghetti Carbonara

Eggs, hard cheese, black pepper, and bacon or pancetta clinging to hot spaghetti. No cream. A weeknight carbonara from fridge staples — pull the pan off the heat before you add the eggs or you get scramble.

25 minsEasy4 servings620 kcal

shopping_basketIngredients

  • Spaghetti12 ounces
  • Bacon or pancetta5 ounces, diced
  • Eggs3 large
  • Egg yolk1 extra, for richness
  • Pecorino or Parmesan1 cup finely grated, plus more to serve
  • Black pepper1 teaspoon freshly ground, plus more
  • Saltfor pasta water only

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories

620

Protein

28g

Fat

28g

Carbs

64g

restaurantInstructions

1

Mix the egg sauce

In a bowl, whisk whole eggs, extra yolk, grated cheese, and a lot of black pepper until it looks like a thick paste. Set it next to the stove. This mixture cooks from pasta heat, not from the burner.

2

Crisp the bacon

Cook diced bacon in a cold skillet set over medium heat, stirring, until the fat renders and the pieces are browned, 6–8 minutes. Turn off the heat. Leave the fat in the pan.

3

Cook pasta

Boil spaghetti in well-salted water until al dente. Before draining, save 1 1/2 cups starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta.

4

Combine off heat

Add hot pasta to the bacon skillet (heat still off). Toss in the fat. Wait 15 seconds so it is hot but not scorching, then pour in the egg mixture while tossing hard. Add pasta water a splash at a time until you get a glossy sauce that coats every strand — not scrambled eggs, not soup.

5

Serve immediately

Taste. It should be salty from cheese and bacon; add pepper, not salt, unless it is bland. Plate and extra cheese on top. Carbonara waits for no one.

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